Former Guatemalan dictator General Jose Efrain Rios Montt was convicted of crimes against humanity and genocide on May 10, 2013; the crimes he committed were performed against the Mayan-Ixil people and occurred during his leadership from 1982-1983 (Kearns). His offenses, which include rape, murder, and displacement of Mayan-Ixil people from their villages led Judge Jazmin Berrios to hand down an 80-year sentence, with 30 years for his crimes against humanity and 50 years for the genocide (Kearns).
A variety of evidence led a Guatemalan tribunal to conclude that Montt was guilty of these crimes. Ixil people who witnessed and survived the atrocities, other witnesses, and anthropological evidence of “clandestine cemeteries” where the victims had been shot were part of the incriminating evidence (Kearns). Techniques that were used to terrorize the Ixil and to commit genocide include the destruction of Ixil property, crops, homes, livestock, rape of many Ixil women, and execution of Ixil people including pregnant women. Torture, massacre, and forced displacement were also employed in the genocide attempt.
The conviction of Montt comes as a big relief not only to the Ixil people, but also to other indigenous people of Guatemala and to human rights activists everywhere. Activist Riboberta Menchu summaries the feelings of the people succinctly, saying, “These are tears of joy . . . for years they said I was lying. Our experience has finally been vindicated” (Kearns).
This article describes the continuing fight that indigenous people face in order to gain recognition for past crimes that were committed against them. It is a human rights issue because it also represents the struggle indigenous people face in having society not only take their claims seriously, but also having society recognize the validity of those claims. As indigenous cultures like the Mayan-Ixil villagers try to preserve their ancient culture and traditions, it is also important that they continue to be recognized by society as a people with important culture and rights just as other members of that society retain.
It is shameful that Montt was not stopped from leading these atrocities against the Mayan-Ixil people during his tenure as Dictator of Guatemala. The article insinuates some of the reasoning why this was not possible; for example, Kearns writes that Montt was “supported at the time by former United States President Ronal Reagan and televangelist Pat Robertson.” Although it is unlikely that genocide of the Mayan-Ixil people were on Reagan’s or Robertson’s agenda, the point of mentioning this is that society is often blind to the problems of indigenous people. Whether this blindness is willful or not, the result is the same; people like the previously mentioned activist Menchu, the Mayan-Ixil people, and anyone else concerned with the atrocities would not be either believed or acknowledged.
Many people today believe that the persecution of indigenous people is something that happened hundreds of years ago and that it is not tolerated during these modern times. The evidence of this trial shows that crimes against the human rights of indigenous people still occur during these modern times. The great value of the guilty sentence given to Mott demonstrates that this modern society can acknowledge and convict the perpetrators in crimes against indigenous people.
Works Cited
Kearns, Rick. Rios Montt Guilty of Genocide in Guatemala. Indian Country Today Media Network, 13 May 2013. Web.
